Electric switches



April 1963 H. w. HULTS 3,087,341

ELECTRIC SWITCHES Original Filed July 18, 1958 uvmvron HAROLD-W. HULTS ATTORNEY:

United States Patent 3,087,341 ELECTRHI SWITCHES Harold W. Halts, Milwaukee, Wis, assignor t0 Cutler- Hammer, Inc, Milwaukee, Wis, a corporation of Delaware Original application July 18, 1958, Ser. No. 749,357. Di-

vided and this application July 29, 1959, Ser. No.

Claims. (61. 7418.1)

This invention relates to improvements in electric switches, and although not limited thereto, the invention relates more particularly to improvements in miniature switches of the toggle lever operated type wherein the switch mechanism is sealed in a suitable casing against the entry of moisture and dust.

This application is a division of Harold W. Hults copending application Serial No. 749,357, filed July 18, 1958.

An object of the invention is to provide improved sealing means for electric switches.

A more specific object of the invention is to provide improved sealing means for toggle lever actuator openings in switch casings which are long lived, low cost, readily assembled and highly effective.

A still more specific object of the invention is to provide improved sealing and seal retaining means for actuator openings in electric switches of the type having a bushing opening for pivotally supporting the actuator of the toggle lever type.

The sealing means includes a substantially ring-shaped sealing member compressed into sealing engagement with the lever by a shoulder formed at one end of the bushing and a sleeve inserted and fastened in the other end of the bushing.

Other objects and advantages will be pointed out in, or be apparent from the specification and claims, as will obvious modifications of the embodiment of the invention shown in the drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary sectional view showing a sealing means for the toggle lever;

FIG. 2 is a horizontal sectional view taken along line 2-2 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional view of the sealing member shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 showing the relationship between the internal diameter of the member and the diameter of the spherical portion of the toggle lever prior to assembly of the two parts.

Referring to FIG. 1, an operating toggle lever 52 for the switch is mounted in a threaded bushing 120 having an axial opening 56 therethrough and a flange 58 at the lower end thereof fastened to the top of housing 46 by welding or other suitable means. A sealing member 60 seated in a groove in the top of flange 58 provides a watertight seal when the switch is mounted in a suitable panel (not shown.)

Operating toggle lever 52 consists of a somewhat enlarged, generally spherical portion 66 disposed within axial opening 56 or" bushing 12%; an operating handle portion 63 formed integrally with and extending upwardly from spherical portion 66 and outwardly beyond the bushing; and an integral shank portion 70 which tapers downwardly from spherical portion 66 through an opening 72 in the housing to a generally spherical portion 74 at the end of the lever. A reciprocal sliding motion is imparted to actuator block 50 by lever 52 by virtue of the engagement of spherical portion 74 at the end of the lever with a cylindrical recess 76 in the top face of the block.

An arrangement for sealing lever 52 in a bushing 120 is shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 wherein an elastic sealing member 122. and the operating lever are effectively centered and supported in the bushing by a sleeve 124. A downwardly racing shoulder 126 is formed at the top of the inside surface of the bushing for retaining sealing member 122, spherical portion 66 of lever 52 and sleeve 124 inserted from the bottom of the bushing in that order. Edge 128 of the shoulder and edge 130 of the sleeve bear against spherical portion 66 of the lever and serve to properly position the lever in the bushing without unduly resisting movement of the lever in the bushing. Sealing member 122 is of substantially ring-shape having an in side surface which tapers to a nose 132. Sealing engage ment is established :between nose 132 and spherical portion 66 -by making the diameter of spherical portion 66 slightly greater than the inside diameter of sealing member 122 (FIG. 3), and by compressing the sealing member slightly between shoulder 126 and the end of sleeve 124. The axial position of sleeve 124 in the bushing for properly supporting lever 52 and compressing sealing member 122 is established and maintained by a tongue 134 held between a shoulder 136 formed in the bottom end of the bushing and the top of housing 46.

Although a specific embodiment of the present invention has been illustrated and described, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention or from the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a toggle switch having a hollow switch casing provided with a hole therein, a hollow supporting bushing secured at one end to said casing around said hole, an oscillatable operating lever having a handle portion extending outwardly through said bushing and an operating portion extending through said hole into said casing and an intermediate enlarged substantially spherical portion within said bushing, the improvement cornprising;

(a) an annular shoulder formed integrally within the outer end of said bushing and having a sharp circular edge in engagement with and forming a seat for one side of said spherical port-ion;

(b) a sleeve inserted in said bushing on the other side of said ball portion and having a sharp circular edge in engagement with and forming a seat for the other side of said spherical portion;

(0) and a resilient seal-ing member between said shoulder and said sleeve, said sealing member having the configuration of a ring and having a dimension parallel to its major axis substantially greater than its radial dimension whereby said sealing member can be compressed between said shoulder and said sleeve to seal the space between the inner wall of said bushing and said spherical portion while said sharp edges of said shoulder and said sleeve remain a sufiicient distance apart to confine said spherical portion of said operating lever for pivoting therebetween.

2. The invention defined in claim 1, wherein said resilient sealing member is provided with a substantially rectangular cross-section with the inner wall thereof tapered in opposite directions to afiord greater radial thickness at the center for compressive engagement with said spherical portion of said lever thereby to provide a better seal with less frictional drag counteracting movement of the lever.

3. The invention defined in claim 2, wherein the inner diameter of said sealing member is smaller than the diameter of said spherical portion of said lever.

4. The invention defined in claim 1, wherein the inner surface of said sleeve is frusto-conical in shape and diverges from said sharp circular edge thereof to provide space for said operating portion when said lever is pivoted.

3 5. The invention defined in claim 1, together with an external flange formed integrally around said sleeve adjacent the end thereof opposite to the end having said sharp circular edge, and said flange being clamped between said casing and said bushing to rigidly retain said sleeve within said bushing.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Stearns May 21, S l n 14-17-14"? Mar- Sunda Aug. 17, Koenig Dec. 6, Hults May 8, Hyde July 31, Hults Aug. 14, Hollander Apr. 15, Kulka Nov. 18,

FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain Mar. 9, 

1. IN A TOGGLE SWITCH HAVING A HOLLOW SWITCH CASING PROVIDED WITH A HOLE THEREIN, A HOLLOW SUPPORTING BUSHING SECURED AT ONE END TO SAID CASING AROUND SAID HOLE, AN OSCILLATABLE OPERATING LEVER HAVING A HANDLE PORTION EXTENDING OUTWARDLY THROUGH SAID BUSHING AND AN OPERATING PORTION EXTENDING THROUGH SAID HOLE INTO SAID CASING AND AN INTERMEDIATE ENLARGED SUBSTANTIALLY SPHERICAL PORTION WITHIN SAID BUSHING, THE IMPROVEMENT COMPRISING; (A) AN ANNULAR SHOULDER FORMED INTEGRALLY WITHIN THE OUTER END OF SAID BUSHING AND HAVING A SHARP CIRCULAR EDGE IN ENGAGEMENT WITH AND FORMING A SEAT FOR ONE SIDE OF SAID SPHERICAL PORTION; (B) A SLEEVE INSERTED IN SAID BUSHING ON THE OTHER SIDE OF SAID BALL PORTION AND HAVING A SHARP CIRCULAR EDGE IN ENGAGEMENT WITH AND FORMING A SEAT FOR THE OTHER SIDE OF SAID SPHERICAL PORTION; (C) AND A RESILIENT SEALING MEMBER BETWEEN SAID SHOULDER AND SAID SLEEVE, SAID SEALING MEMBER HAVING THE CONFIGURATION OF A RING AND HAVING A DIMENSION PARALLEL TO ITS MAJOR AXIS SUBSTANTIALLY GREATER THAN ITS RADIAL DIMENSION WHEREBY SAID SEALING MEMBER CAN BE COMPRESSED BETWEEN SAID SHOULDER AND SAID SLEEVE TO SEAL THE SPACE BETWEEN THE INNER WALL OF SAID BUSHING AND SAID SPHERICAL PORTION WHILE SAID SHARP EDGES OF SAID SHOULDER AND SAID SLEEVE REMAIN A SUFFICIENT DISTANCE APART TO CONFINE SAID SPHERICAL PORTION OF SAID OPERATING LEVER FOR PIVOTING THEREBETWEEN. 